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Friday, March 29, 2024

You can save a life now

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If you spay or neuter your pets, you can help control the animal population and subsequently, lessen the number of abandoned, stray animals.

When you have your dogs or cats spayed,  they will not reproduce.  Thousands of pups and kittens –90 percent of whom will end up on the streets or in pounds– will not be born. You will save thousands of lives when you have dogs or cats spayed or neutered.

You can save a life now
To help control the animal population in the country, the Baguio City Veterinary Office, Save ALL Inc., and CAPA Inc. joined hands to have  120 dogs and cats spayed or neutered.  Thank you to licensed vets (surgeons)   from Baguio and Benguet:  Dr. Anabelle Capse, Dr. Peter Canggat, Dr. Wilson Malingan, Dr. Cecille Capuyan, Dr. Gladys Bantog, Dr. Mark Anthony Padao, Dr. Jordan Bayudang, Dr. Mary Jane Laus, Dr. Kelvin John Gavino,Dr. Denver Ayongan, and  Dr. Joy Bang-asan. Thank you to Shirly Hughes (foreground) and sister Ashley Sebusa of Dogs Mountain Sanctuary for hosting  Save ALL admins in their home.

In Baguio, city veterinarian Dr. Bridget Piok noted that dog population has been increasing yearly. A survey conducted by the City Veterinarian Office (CVO)  for the year 2017 recorded more or less 60,000 dogs compared to 50,000 in 2016.

You can save a life now
Owners register their pets and sign a waiver form at the receiving area. CAPA Inc. led by founder Cherrybeth Batuna and vice president Michael Padiclas conducted a pre-registration of pets to ensure the pets to be spayed/ neutered are healthy and vaccinated. The group also informed owners that pets should undergo an eight-hour fasting prior to surgery and oriented them on post-surgery care.  Save ALL Inc. ensured the pets will be given an injectable antibiotic which is good for three days to prevent infection after surgery. The group did not scrimp on meds for the welfare of the animals and ensured the pets will be given the most expensive anesthesia, and this was not diluted with another medicine just to lessen the cost. The two animal welfare groups believe that if one were to help animals,  one must give them the best.

The Baguio City Pound, meanwhile,  recorded a total of 2,005 impounded dogs in 2017. Most dogs were claimed by the owners and  106 dogs were brought home through adoption. But there are still dogs in the pound waiting to be adopted.

Dr. Piok said the CVO launched their free spay and neuter program in the last quarter of 2017 to address the increasing dog population. This program will be included in their annual plan and budget for the succeeding years.

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You can save a life now
Responsible owners wait for their pets' turn to be spayed or neutered.

But the free spay and neuter program can accommodate only 80 dogs and cats every quarter due to budget constraints.

This means only a maximum of 320 dogs/ cats can be spayed or neutered within the year. This number is not enough given the  60,000  recorded dogs in the city in 2017.

To spay and neuter more dogs and cats, the CVO decided to team up with animal welfare groups  Save ALL Inc. – Save Animals of Love and Light (Save ALL) and Cordillera Animal Protection Advocates Inc. (CAPA) to conduct more free spay and neuter in the city. 

In this first joint effort,  120 dogs and cats were targeted as beneficiaries.

Dr. Piok stressed: “We  believe that education on responsible pet ownership among pet parents is the best solution to totally minimize and eventually achieve a zero impounded dog at the dog pound.”  And working with animal welfare groups helps, she said.

Michael Padiclas, CAPA vice president, said his group has been concerned with the increasing number of stray dogs and cats. They have been rescuing injured and sick dogs and cats, having them treated and looking for adopters and fosters for them.

Thus, CAPA worked on a tripartite memorandum of agreement with the CVO and Save ALL.

Save ALL, on the other hand, has held 11 free spay and neuter programs which benefitted more than 200 dogs and cats. It has also rescued around 415 dogs and cats in the past four years.

Save ALL  has always stressed that spaying and neutering and responsible pet ownership are the best solutions to prevent the increase in animal abuse cases in the country.  

The organizers are grateful to Baguio City  Mayor Mauricio G. Domoganfor supporting the project.

During the two-day free spay and neuter program in Baguio City on Aug. 15 and 16, eight veterinarians from the Baguio City vet office, the Benguet vet office, and the Department of Agriculture  (DA) performed the procedure.

The doctors  who volunteered are Dr. Anabelle Apse (from the capitol), Dr. Peter Canggat Jr. (capitol), Dr. Wilson Malingan (city vet), Dr. Cecile Capuyan (DA Livestock division), Dr. Gladys Bantog (city vet), Dr. Mark Anthony Padao (LGU La Trinidad), Dr. Jordan Bayudang (BAI), and Dr. Mary Jane Laus  (city vet)

The Baguio CVO provided the venue and prepared the needed medical equipment and surgical tools for the entire duration of the project. It also ensured that all the necessary steps before, during and after the surgical procedures were complied with.

You can save a life now
A cat is shaved prior to surgery.

CAPA coordinated with agencies such as the DA for the needed medical equipment/tools and veterinarians, the Benguet Provincial Veterinary Office for volunteer veterinarians and the Benguet State University- Department of Veterinary Medicine for volunteer vets and clinical assistance

It also conducted the pre-screening and pre-registration of pets “to remind the owners of the preoperative preparations and post-surgery care and informed the owners of their scheduled date and time,“ Padiclas said.

You can save a life now
Pets who have undergone surgery are brought to the recovery room where they are monitored. 

Save ALL provided medicine for the procedure.

Save ALL is grateful for the assistance of  Doc Antony Prado Basa of Sha Sha/West Avenue  Veterinary Clinic,  Quezon City to and for the medicine and medical supplies from Jael Bermejo Elegarle, Goldie Ngo Mayanne Naguit Dee, and another member of Save ALL.

The organizers are also grateful to Topbreed, Juris Fortun, Racje Construction, and Tiongsan Harison for helping with medical supplies and food for the volunteers.

You can save a life now
Cats and dogs were spayed or neutered so that they will no longer reproduce.

To help  Save ALL conduct more free spay and neuter programs, please contact Save ALL admins Cynthia Barcial Santos and Day Carlos if you can donate medicine and medical supplies.

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